An Unexpected Award.

The well respected and super cool Trinity of http://www.quillinherquiver.blogspot.com has awesomely nominated me for the Liebster Award!  

If you don't know what it is (I didn't till I got nominated and had to google it), it seems to be an award bloggers give to other bloggers because they are friends and stuff. Apparently Liebster in German basically means sugar and spice and everything nice.  The rules: 

• Thank and link back to the person who nominated you.
• List 11 facts about yourself.
• Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
• Nominate 9 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers (you can’t nominate the blogger who nominated you).
• Ask them 11 questions.
• Let them know about the nomination.

Now, 11 facts about myself...............

1. I sleep with a pillowpet.  She's a red puppy and her name is Valentine.  Best investment I ever made.

2. I watch the Backyardigans.  *not ashamed* 

3. I'm a packrat.  

4. I carry binoculars around in my purse in case I see awesome birds.

5. The first guy I ever had a crush on was Prince Char from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. <3

6. I am intensely afraid of storms (e.g. heavy wind, heavy rain, very dark clouds, and sometimes thunder and lightning.  Oddly enough, I'm less afraid of thunder than I am of heavy winds and rain.)

7. I love to watch water but I find it incredibly boring to be in.  I also can't swim and I have a phobia of drowning, thus causing me to pretty much steer clear of water entirely. 

8. Pretty sure my first word was "Daddy".

9. My favorite food as a baby was pears.

10. John Wayne was my hero growing up.  And Johnny Gage & Roy DeSoto.

11. I once named my hair Sally.

And now Trinity's 11 questions for me: 

1. If you could pick one word to describe yourself, what would it be? (Boring, commonplace, ordinary, regular, and run-of-the-mill are all banned.)

Blessed. 

2. What is your favorite thing to drink?

Sprite, A&W, and lemonade are all superb.

3. What fandoms are you in? 

Good Gallifrey, what a question.  Obviously Doctor Who.  Sherlock [BBC, Granada, and canon]; Percy Jacksonnnn <33; Marvel [Captain America for the win]; Psych; Star Wars; Star Trek; Jane Austen; Nancy Drew; Hardy Boys; and Tolkien.  Pretty sure that's everything I love that actually has a fandom.  

4. How many ongoing writing projects are you working on? (Novels, essays, short stories, etc. Blog posts don't count.)

Well.  I'm only actually working on one thing right now; obviously I have a million unfinished and abandoned projects.

5. Of those projects, which has the highest word count and what is it? 

Um, this thingy probably has about a hundred words so far. :P

6. Have you ever had to go to the emergency room?  If so, why? (If you feel comfortable sharing.)

Thank Jesus my Savior, I've never had cause to go to the emergency room.  Except when I went with Mom after my older brother injured himself peeling a carrot.

7. If you could live anywhere besides where you're living now, where would you live? 

Ehh.  I love Michigan.  I might move somewhere with more trees, but definitely not out of Michigan.  If I did, I might move to Kentucky or Tennessee. 

8. Who would you most like to meet in person? (Excepting Jesus).

My awesome best friends, Emily, Robyn, Janey, and Johanna.

9. Your family and pets are safe and sound and you have two minutes to grab some things out of your burning house.  What do you take? 

She says "grab some things"...

Valentine, my NASB study Bible, my scrapbooking stuff, my journal and my pencil pouch.  Oh, and probably my letter packet that contains every letter and envelope I ever receive. 

10. What is your biggest fear?

Probably tornadoes.  Lilapsophobia, y'all.  But if you want me to get philosophical and deep, my biggest fear is losing my mom somehow.

11. Which is more awesome and would win in a fight, pirates or ninjas?

Pirates, because Barbossa. <3

And now for my nominees!  I don't think I even know nine bloggers, but here are those I do know and love.

The beautiful Johanna at http://www.alongexpectedblog.blogspot.com

Megan Jane at http://www.pitchforkprincess.blogspot.com (seriously guys, brilliant stuff here.)

Brian at http://www.vestigesofintelligence.com (don't worry, Brian, you don't have to do an answer post xD) 

My sister Carly at http://www.knittedtogether.blogspot.com

MY MOMMY at http://www.mixednutts.wordpress.com

Mary at http://www.onemustalwaysbecarefulofbooks.wordpress.com.  She hasn't posted much, but she encouraged me via Pinterest a LOT when I was writing Hitchhiker and this is the perfect opportunity for a grateful shout-out :)

Emilita over at http://www.ramblingsofarestlesshomeshooler.wordpress.com. <3 

Robynia at http://thelittlewildgirl.blogspot.com.  One of my best friends deserves this award of course, even if there is only one post on her blog XD <3

Margaret at http://www.blendersandphobias.blogspot.com. :D

I thiiiiiiink that's all. WHOA, I made nine! Incredible.  Now, 11 questions for my nominees. xD 

1. Who was your first fictional character crush? 

2. What fictional place would you pack up and move to in a jiffy?

3. Which are cooler: Daleks or Cybermen?

4. What's one talent you desperately wish you had?

5. Describe yourself in one word.  Don't use boring or ordinary or any of synonyms of those words.

6. Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality quiz?  If so, what did you score? 

7. Who do you most want to meet in person?

8. Books or Nooks?

9. Your zombie apocalypse weapon of choice is...

10. What's one thing you thought you would become as a kid that you haven't yet?  Are you still planning on it?

11. Are you more of a dog person or a cat person? 

Wheeew.  Finally done.  Till next time (which probably will be in years since I obviously fail at blogs)!

 - Ash

So We Meet Again.

Ahem.  We haven't spoken in a while.  Very lazy of me.  Takk for sist!  I haven't exactly been inspired of late, what with my curling up in a ball and shunning the world so I could read Sherlock Holmes instead of writing.  But, lately I have written a little bit.  Nothing interesting, and certainly nothing worthy of posting here.  But I thought I would just convey a bit of my ideas to you, as you have been unfailingly longsuffering and amazing and fantastic by continuing to be subscribed to this dusty old blog.
I received one of the best presents ever for Epiphany/King's Day/whatever you call it.  January 6th is, if you don't know, the day we celebrate the three kings or wise men who visited Jesus a couple years after His birth.  Anyway.  I got the most brilliant Captain America shield shirt.  It's my favorite style - non-Vneck, and not tight but also not shapeless.

  
 I could go on for hours about this thing that I don't ever want to stop wearing.  But anyway, it prompted me into thinking about writing about superheroes.  Not that I don't know how cliche that could be if I'm not careful.  But I started writing nonetheless.  So far all that has happened is a girl named Audrey Glory (totally not the official name but I wrote it at 12:00 AM so it was the best I could come up with on the fly) walked to the mailbox and pulled out a letter that said ------------

DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNNNNNN.

I actually have no idea what it said.  :P  Still thinking on that.  But the letter will somehow change her life.  If that isn't already cliche, I don't know what is.  *sigh* 



Sooooooo, in addition to getting the Cap shirt I also got a Sherlock scarf for Christmas!!  And I already had a TARDIS BFF necklace (the other half of which belongs to my Janey), and a wooden Sting created by my ingenious friend Brian.  So I am feeling rather fangirly right now and it feels great.  Anyway.  I am dragging this out because longer blog posts make me feel better, but honestly most of you probably don't read all of my ridiculousness anyway.  Don't blame you.  If you are still reading, I must bid you farewell.  Maybe sometime in the near future I will actually post something from my outrageously cliche superhero story.

Also you may be interested in what I have been doing to Hitchhiker.  I am totally renovating 
and replotting it. 

- Ashley
P.S.  Takk for sist means "Nice to see you again" in Norwegian.
P.S.S. I really really really really really really really really really want this.

IT IS FINISHED

HI GUYS MY NAME IS ASHLEY AND I JUST FINISHED NANOWRIMO.

 So, my story ended up being exactly 24,922 words long.  Very tiny, I know.  But as I have a habit of writing brief stories, that is as long as the story would go.  I even stretched it out about 5K by doing something crazy.  But I couldn't stretch it any longer, and since I am part of the Young Writers Program, I can choose the word count I want.  :) 
 Anyway, so I'm done.  WOW.  It's been incredible.  I am definitely doing it again next year!  I had trouble at times and at one point I was 4K behind, but as the NaNoWriMo contract says I have bragging rights, let me say that the day I woke up 4K behind, I went to bed a couple hundred over my all-caught-up word count.  Uh huh, that's right.  Hopefully in December when I go through it all, I do not find that all the stuff I wrote was junk. o_O

Sherlock Fanfiction

Once upon a time, a girl named Ashley watched Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.  Ashley adored that episode.  Then Ashley read the story in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes book.  Ashley also adored that story.  So Ashley was discussing her favorite scene with her awesome friend Janey, and Ashley randomly wrote fanfiction which incorporated this scene into BBC's modern adaption of Sherlock.  Janey loved it so much that she begged and begged for Ashley to put it on her blog.  So Ashley did, despite her qualms and embarrassment.  Here it is.

"We're not jealous of you...at Scotland Yard. No, sir." Lestrade's face became sombre, and Sherlock turned to him with an air of surprise. "No?" he muttered. "No," Lestrade answered firmly. "We're proud of you." He continued as if afraid that if he waited a moment longer to speak he would not have the courage to finish. "There's not a man among us - from the oldest constable to the youngest officer - who wouldn't be glad to shake you by the hand." He smiled hesitantly, as if afraid Sherlock would ridicule him for his sincerity.

For a few seconds Sherlock seemed at a loss for words. Disbelief, astonishment, and elation chased each other across his features. Finally he turned to Lestrade, forcing a cool smile. "Thank you," he said non-chalantly, and then repeated the words with more sentiment John had ever heard from him. “Thank you.” John looked at him in surprise. "Sherlock...you okay?" Sherlock sniffed. "Of course. Let's....get going." Lestrade held out his hand, waiting for Sherlock to take it. At first the consulting detective stared at it with distaste, but in a sudden, uncharacteristic action he clasped Lestrade warmly by the hand and smiled briefly. Without another word he abruptly turned and walked away with John, leaving Lestrade staring at his hand in astonishment.

Well, there is was.  What did you think?  No, don't tell me what you think.  This is my first ever fanfiction and I'm super embarrassed.  Actually yes tell me what you think.  No, don't.  Well, do whatever you want.  I won't look.  Actually I will.  If anyone wants me to expound on this, I'll do my best....but if it's great just the way it is, yippee.

-Ashley 

Desmond and Debra

Hello my faithful followers.  I heartily appreciate the fact that you stick with me through thick and thin, when I'm lazy and when I force feed every silly piece of my writing to you.  I have been quite distracted by my recently borrowed Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  Which I might add is now among my top favorite books, along with The Lightning Thief, Pride and Prejudice, The Tutor's Daughter, and much more.  Many thanks to my friends Johanna and Zack for introducing me to the world of Sherlock, but also to my friend Brian and Pinterest in general for arousing my interest in BBC's Sherlock, without which I would never have given Sherlock a second glance.
 ANYWAY.  Getting a little off track here.  Tomorrow is Talk Like Jane Austen Day, and I would strongly recommend Austen's two finest works, Pride and Prejudice and Emma, in preparation.  I should throw a Victorian-style ball that day.
MOVING ON.  This is not Current Events. :P
As per my usual routine, I have written a bit based on the following writing prompt:
 Write a story that ends with the following sentence: Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon.
Sounds interesting and random enough, don't you think?

"It is the silliest thing to ask," Princess Debra said quietly, sidling up to me, "but please do not refuse me.  Will you swear to not refuse me?"  I gulped.  I had never been so close to the Princess before.  "I...I swear, my lady," I managed, curtseying.  What else could I do?  She smiled benevolently at me.  "There's a good girl.  Now, you must swear to not breathe a word of this to anyone." My eyes widened.  The Princess was known for a being a bit reckless, but I never imagined this.  "Good girl.  Now go and fetch him!" I curtseyed again and stumbled away.  At the door of the stables the horse master met me.  "Ho, there, where are you off to in such a bumbling hurry?" he exclaimed, and I nearly fainted.  "Oh - um - the- the Princess - she asked me to - um - do something for her." He stepped aside and let me pass, probably thinking my rush was childish delight in running an errand for a princess.  
I stood nervously at the door of the stall which contained the biggest horse I had ever laid eyes on. 
Desmond was magnificent, sand-colored, and terrifying.  
His very head might have been half the size of me.  He was as tall as two horse masters.  His gigantic hooves struck the ground and the sound vibrated through the stone stall and made me nearly jump.  His intelligent eyes rolled down to look at me.  I tried not to whimper.
I had to pull myself together.  The huge stallion could smell my fear and was enjoying it.  He tossed his great head, his luxurious mane rippling through the air.  My jaw dropped, but I quickly closed it.  The beautiful beast would not intimidate me.  I had lived with horses for years.  I knew how to work with them.  The only problem was, all of the horses I'd worked with were at least two sizes smaller than Desmond.
Gathering my courage, I produced his stall's heavy key from the ring on my belt and slowly turned it in the lock.  "Hey, Des," I said in a scratchy voice.  No, that wouldn't do!  I repeated the greeting in a stronger voice.  He stared down at me condescendingly.  I was sure if he could speak, he wouldn't deem me worthy to speak to.
Bridling and saddling him was no easy task.  Though he wasn't violent towards me (thank heavens!), he kept turning his head away from me.  I continually wondered if he required a person of more dignity to attach his accessories.
Finally, after a short struggle, I managed to slip on his bridle and saddle.  The only problem remaining was to get past the horse master.  I wondered why I had not thought of that before.  How could this great hulking beast grasp the concept of "sneaking"?!  My heart sank as I wondered if this was all a ploy to get me in trouble.  The Princess was right; letting her ride the High King's horse was a silly request.  Perhaps she never meant to ride him at all.  I seemed to recall her getting a cook's assistant arrested for supposedly trying to make off with the King's choice chickens when in fact the Princess herself had hidden them.  When her deceit was revealed, she argued that it was only a joke and had meant to return the chickens after a little while.  No one could arrest a princess, so the matter was dropped and the kitchen girl released.
Suddenly the horse master walked past.  I bit back a shriek and ducked.  He glanced in Desmond's direction, but didn't stop.  I waited until his footsteps receded before I straightened.  Then a low whistle sounded very near.  I peeked out of the stall and saw the princess.  She was beckoning.  I nodded and turned away so she wouldn't see my blanched face.  Maybe she really did want to try and ride Desmond.  This was ridiculous, but I could get in worse trouble for disobeying her than I could for stealing the King's crown.
Taking the reins, reopened the door and tugged.  Desmond slowly followed me, keeping his head up as if he could not bear to look at the scraggly peasant who was leading him.  I hoped to goodness that no one was around.  The huge horse and I crossed the stable yard and made it to safety behind a grove of trees, where Princess Debra had gone to wait.  "Ah, she's a beauty," she whispered in admiration.  "Your Majesty, permission to speak." "Of course." "Your Majesty, Desmond is a stallion, Your Majesty.  He's a boy."  Debra looked confused.  "Oh," she said, and giggled.  I did not see anything about the situation that could be described as humorous.  
Debra mounted the stallion with the ease of a well-trained rider.  My jaw nearly dropped again at how quickly she was able to hoist herself up onto the great beast.  She winked at me.  "You may wait here until I come back.  Then I expect you to return her safely to her stall.  And remember, your lips and mine are sealed."  I nodded vigorously.  "Your Majesty, permission to speak?" "Yes?" "Desmond is a boy, Your Majesty." She giggled again.  "So he is!" And with that, she urged Desmond into a run and was off.  My eyes nearly dropped out of my face.  Despite his size, Desmond was lithe and graceful as an elf of the great wood.  His powerful muscles rippled as he streaked across the sand, blending in with it and kicking up dust.  It would have been difficult to see him and his rider in the pale evening light if not for the princess' bright pink blouse.
After a few minutes of watching them gallop further into the flat, deserted plain, I sat against one of the trees and rested.  I began to have hope that no one would catch us.  Maybe Desmond and the princess would return safely, we would all go to our respective beds, and the night could be forgotten.  
I started to doze off at some point, but I was reawakened by shouts and screams.  Starting up, I discerned in the distance a giant cloud of dust.  Every once in a while a flash of pink showed through.  I gasped.  Desmond must have been spooked.  As silly as the notion was that such a gigantic beast could be scared, I knew it was possible.  After all, I'd seen a big dog get spooked by a cat.  And in a circus performance I'd seen those great Eastern elephants get their trunks in a twist over a mouse. 
Debra screamed again.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Then I spotted an air balloon in the sky.  The glint of metal on one of its occupants told me the King was taking his evening ride.  He had probably spotted the helpless Princess Debra by now, though he may not have recognized that it was indeed his daughter, getting tossed around helplessly by the reckless stallion.  
The sudden descent of the balloon confirmed that he had seen the scuffle and was coming to the rescue.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I raced to the stables to get the horsemaster for additional help.  I had promised not to breathe a word to anyone about Debra's riding Desmond, but I had not promised to refrain from saving her life. 
Paul, the horse master, was just exiting the stables when I ran into him.  "Oh, sir!" I cried.  He looked down at me with a puzzled smile.  "Oh, sir, Princess Debra is having trouble with her horse out there - look!" I pointed out across the desert to the cloud of dust.  Paul strained his eyes for a moment, then turned on his heel and ran to his horse's stall.  He mounted it and was off in seconds to help his princess.  I was already more at ease, for if anyone could handle a rogue horse - even one so huge as Desmond - it was Paul.  Still, I wished to see the outcome myself, so I started towards the spectacle on foot.  It was probably too much to hope for, but perhaps the princess would keep her promise to not betray my hand in the matter.
By the time I arrived at the scene, Paul had settled Desmond down and was holding up the cause of it all - a long, hideous snake.  It was dead, probably trampled to death under the horse's massive hooves.  Princess Debra was cuddled up in her father's arms, sobbing.  I must admit that I was disgusted with her.  
 Paul jumped off his horse and walked towards me solemnly.  My heart dropped down to my feet.  He must know what I did.  Now I was in the worst trouble I had ever been in, and I had always led a relatively clean life.  
"Jayne," he said quietly.  I looked up, fear in my eyes.  But to my surprise, he grinned.  "You deserve thanks for running to get me.  I fear if you had wasted another second, our dear Princess would have been trampled under the formidable hooves of this great beast."  Desmond snorted and I could have sworn that he winked at me.  My jaw dropped.  "Th-th-thank you, Sir," I stuttered, bowing and curtseying and shaking.  He clapped me on the shoulder and walked over to the king and his daughter.  "Your Majesty, that was a foolhardy thing to do, it was," he said sternly.  "You could have been killed."  The King nodded at his daughter.  "Yes, child, never do that again.  Now come with me back to the castle and rest your poor frazzled nerves."  Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon.

Whew.  That was a long post.  I hope you enjoyed it.  
-Ashley

Character Quirks Part 2

So if you'll remember, in my last post I rambled about character quirks and what they were and ways to see them in real life.  Now I feel I should talk about ways to make quirks influential in your plot.

Quirks aren't always this important; they usually just add a degree of humor or uniqueness to your characters; but sometimes they also play a big enough part in the plot to help it move the way it should.  Perhaps their part is to cause the hero/heroine to make a decision (the inciting incident) that propels them into the rising action.  [If you want to know more about these plot points (inciting incident and rising action) go here.]  Maybe it's as simple as this little story about our dear friend Angelica Accola.

Angel absolutely adores chocolate chip cookies.  They are her favorite edible thing in the whole world.  But she's very particular about one thing.  The semisweet chocolate chips absolutely HAVE to be Ghirardelli, or she won't eat them - plain and simple.  Everyone who knows Angel has been given the spiel about her chocolate chips, to save them the embarrassment of giving her cookies she wouldn't eat.  
Well, one fateful day, Angel went to a New Year's Eve party at her friend Gabriellia's house.  She trusted that Gabriellia would have remembered her preference for Ghirardelli chocolate, but she still examines all the cookies carefully.  Across the table, a young man is doing the same.  They don't notice each other at first but study the cookies.  Angel uses her sixth sense that informs her of the kind of chocolate in the food.  Don't ask me how she does it.  O_o  Anyway, Gabriellia's little sister Alessandra toddled up and asked Angel what she was doing.  The young man across the table thought she was talking to him, and the two picky cookie-eaters answered simultaneously.  "Making sure they used Ghirardelli chips in the cookies," was their answer.  Startled, they looked at each other for the first time.

I will leave your own imaginations to divine what happened immediately afterwards, but Angel is married to that young man right now.  His name is Eric Accola.  

So if Angel was not so picky about her chocolate chips she may never have met the man she loves.  So it may be with your protagonist, a supporting character, etc.  But quirks don't always lead to happy endings.  Take Eric's great great grandfather Alan for example.  As a young man enlisted in the army, he had been impetuous and spirited.  A big quirk of his was that he was petrified of needles and other sharp things.  
When his camp was fired at and the soldiers were forced to flee the area, they found that a fence of barbed wire set up for their enemies' demise was now their own.  They crawled under it and hacked it down, but Alan was scared stiff by the pointy things and fainted.  This caused him to be captured.

So that was a sad story.  But sometimes quirks can be like that.  They're not always good for the character.  Maybe the story is about overcoming a quirk that grew into a phobia or an obsession.  It is guaranteed, though, that quirks will make your story more original, more interesting.

So how can you turn your quirks into important elements of the story?  Here are some questions you can answer.

What is the quirk?

How does it affect those around the character?  Do they love it, hate it, or are they indifferent to it?

How does it affect the character? Does he/she love it, hate it, or is she/he indifferent to it?

Can your character be rid of the quirk?

If so, how?

Take these questions, review your plot, and see if the quirk can become more than a quirk.

Hope this helped someone!

-Ashley

Character Quirks

     So I decided to share my thoughts on character quirks with the world after one of my besties was having trouble thinking them up.  Character quirks are sometimes very difficult because we rarely notice them or think about them.  So by all means pull up a chair and listen to me ramble.

For a long time I have made a point of researching cool people and finding out stuff about them.  I have an odd fascination with thinking deeply into their character.  Now, don't think I just stalk people.  I'm talking about actors, musicians, etc, as well as family members.  Even movie characters never escape my scrutiny.  And just recently I realized how I could put my extensive knowledge of formerly useless things to work.  Through writing.

Allow me to create a character from scratch.  Her name is Angelica Dorothea Elizabeth Morgana Candice Accola, but we shall call her Angel for short.  Angel is a very beautiful middle-aged woman, the picture of health.  Blonde hair, green/blue eyes, pink cheeks, manicured nails, healthy weight.  She's a little bit taller than most women, standing at exactly 5' 11".  None of those are character quirks, though.  What's "quirky" about her is that she frequently stands on one leg and uses the other to rub the first leg's calf like a cricket.  She purses her lips when someone's talking to her.  Her fingers often absent-mindedly reach up to twirl a strand of hair.  You can tell she's bored if she starts looking up or down, but normally she keeps her eyes fixed on whoever is speaking to her.  She says "I say!" a lot. Those are character quirks.

Look around you, at your family and friends.  Do they do any of these things?  What about constantly running their hands through their hair?  Do they always wear a hat?  Do they have a very unusual style of walking or running?  What about the way they wear their hair?  Is it odd?  Is there a phrase they say often, or always in a certain situation?  Do they like to collect certain items?

Give Angelica Dorothea Elizabeth Morgana Candice Accola a round of applause.  You did great, girl.

Now.  After thinking about your family and friends and the various quirks they may have, move on to book or movie characters.  Jack Sparrow from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean is fairly easy.  Jack always acts drunk and constantly wiggles his fingers.  His favorite word is "Savvy".  Barbossa, his former first mate, loves apples.  
Emma Smallwood from The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen always must have "a place for everything and everything in its place."  
Rachel Elizabeth Dare from Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus always has paint on her clothes.
Junie's dad from Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones runs his hands through his hair when he's trying to make a difficult decision.
Mrs. Bates from Emma by Jane Austen is extremely talkative and frequently says "So very obliging!"

Just remember to think of little things.  Observe people.  It helps a lot with the development of lifelike characters!

- Ashley and special guest star  
Angelica Dorothea Elizabeth Morgana Candice Accola